|
|
 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
tonightsthenight
846 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 16 2010 : 5:00:59 PM
|
Hello to everyone in AYPland 
I read Lesson 381 – Ida, Pingala and Kundalini Awakening http://www.aypsite.org/381.html today, as I've been searching for a bit of illumination on how Ida & Pingala nadis fit in to the whole scheme of things.
My attention has been drawn to Ida & Pingala recently because I have found my purification to be focused primarily on an imbalance between the right and left sides of the body.
It's only been the last several months that this imbalance has been noticeable. Nonetheless, it's been around for ages, possibly since i was a young child.
Physiologically, the imbalance is manifested as a tightness along a vertical axis, running approximately from the pelvis to the axis/atlas, along the posterior (back), right side of the body.
I experience the imbalance as a deficiency in the Pingala.
So after reading Lesson 381, I was struck by this sentence:
quote:
Ida and pingala play a key role in manifesting the fruit (effects) of the natural evolutionary process that we call human spiritual transformation.
Now, I fully realize that this imbalance will take care of itself over time with practice.
But nonetheless, I find it curious how inner silence and stillness in action can be present, but that all the while Pingala is malfunctioning and possibly making for difficult circumstances.
I thought I would ask if anyone else has had a similar issue with Pingala or Ida?
What has been your experience of these mysterious nadis? |
|
|
Holy
796 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2010 : 2:58:07 PM
|
AYP cleans those nadis as a side-effect of longterm DM and SBP, asanas, mudras and kumbhakkas.
And whenever both nadis are pure for some hours or days you feel like heavens doors open up in the physical realm. Immense playful and joyful expression starts on bodily movements and on thoughts and feelings. Becoming like a little child..
In my experience, doing ANB before SBP makes the whole journey much much more enjoyable right from the start and even after years it still makes a big difference when ANB is skipped. For me it is like tasting the fruit (on the expression level of maya) beforehand and parallely while doing the much deeper karmic cleansing and transformation through SBP and DM.
Over the longterm, most probably after many years ANB may not add much or do any difference.
Yogani himself practiced ANB without SBP for 15 years and then switched over to SBP completely as far as I know, so he was already "pretty far" in his opening and cleansing. As a beginner (who knows what and how much we practiced in former lifes, but).. the combination is very very smooth and fast in effect.
The approach in AYP is: if a practice does add little or is insignificant in the big scheme, it is skipped. When it comes to ANB, everyone should do their own tests. For me it is still one of the best pranayamas besides SBP.
Btw, if it became not clear: ANB = alternate nostril breathing, a technique that purifies and opens up both ida and pingala very fast. "I" do it with gentle kumbhak. |
 |
|
|
JDH
USA
331 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2010 : 5:16:27 PM
|
| So far, my experience has just been to feel energy flows and openings in the channels running through the sides of my nose and upper lip. They seem connected to the third eye. |
|
|
|
tonightsthenight
846 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2010 : 5:16:56 PM
|
Thanks for the response Holy
I have tried ANB just recently, and I find it relaxing. It's been coming up quite often as a "hint", so I figured I should give it a go.
It sounds like you've been practicing ANB for a while now, is that right?
As my Pingala is waking up, it's a really strange feeling.
I should mention that Sushumna and Ida are pretty much obstacle free, so this is probably not your standard Yoga progression  Conversely: everybody's spiritual maturation transpires differently!
The past few days the right side of my body, from foot up to the top of the spine, is just burning and buzzing away. There is an enormous energy transformation going on there. I haven't felt this level of burning since the first couple of years of K purification.
I've gotten "sick" as well, which always happens during periods of purification. Not sick like a cold or flu, it's always some weird combination of lethargy, fatigue, vertigo and ache-y-ness.
Nonetheless, this is good stuff, as I feel as if Pingala has been a bit of a missing link.
I'm really curious how different things will feel with a fired up Pingala.
Regardless, I will probably add a bit of ANB to my practices. As I mentioned above, I've felt compelled to try it, and intuitively I sense that it will help to balance those deficient Pingala energies.
|
|
|
|
Holy
796 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2010 : 10:39:00 PM
|
Ida was also more open than pingala here. The reason for that are causes in the past (logged in sushumna) that created situations of physical laziness in many aspects of life. In times where I was physically more active, pingala was also more open.
When the entries to sushumna start to open and cleansing starts to progress there, both nostrils and channels get free and open up. You can't miss the nondual peace-love-ecstatic effects of sushumna activity as both nostrils open up instantly till some deeper causes come up and close the doors once again.
There are many levels to "obstacle free". Better say obstacle free in relationship to current levels of perception. The more refined the perception becomes, the more suptle causes become visible.
Am practicing ANB for 3,x years with pauses inbetween. Also practiced it as a stand-alone-practice 4-5 hours per day for a period of about 6 months with insane openings on all levels 3 years ago. Had reached states that since then I have not come across through more stable practice routines. And even today, 10-20 minutes more than the usual ~10 mins before SBP make such a big difference.
The reason why I stopped it, even though it was heaven on earth 24h a day bathing in love, joy and infinite youthful strength and easiness: the body could not handle it plus the mind was gone altogether. No rememberings, no working thinking, just best of best in conflict with demanding mental activities.
10min today is enough to make it worth practicing while one year ago 20 min was needed for the same effect. SBP gets more and more effective and will most probably stop the "need" for ANB sooner or later. |
|
|
|
JDH
USA
331 Posts |
Posted - Oct 18 2010 : 12:24:51 AM
|
| Could one of you describe ANB? Do you alternate by physically plugging a nostril, or mentally? |
|
|
|
Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Oct 18 2010 : 12:32:50 AM
|
Physically, of course!
Put your index finger on top of your nose. Use your thumb to close one side, and a finger to close the other, so the hand can be relaxed and it's easy. |
|
|
|
Christi
United Kingdom
4429 Posts |
Posted - Oct 18 2010 : 03:46:12 AM
|
Hi JDH,
There is a description of how to practice ANB in the addition at the bottom of this lesson, along with the reasons that it is not a core AYP practce:
http://www.aypsite.org/41.html
At first it is best to use your hand and physically close each nostril (from the outside). Eventally, when there is a strong awareness of the energy flows, it can be practiced mentally, simply by drawing prana in first through one nostril, and then through the other, and so on.
Christi |
Edited by - Christi on Oct 18 2010 08:37:44 AM |
|
|
|
tonightsthenight
846 Posts |
Posted - Oct 18 2010 : 12:24:54 PM
|
It's interesting that you get such radical changes just from the ANB, Holy! Crazy, so many hours a day of practice?! You must have been out of your mind!?
I have only tried it a few times. I definitely notice the effects... but it just makes me really calm and ready for meditation.
For what it's worth, i breath just fine through both nostrils most of the time, although sometimes its concentrated on one or the other. not sure what that means.
I don't feel that my Pingala imbalance has anything to with laziness or inaction. I feel it's more about power, and in a sense, I've come to understand that the Left side (masc) has been withholding power from the rest in a gesture of bitterness... like poking out your eyes to spite your face or whatever that ridiculous saying is!
So it's not that Pingala doesn't "work" it's that Pingala has been seperated from sushumna and ida. my left brain has been all rogue state. |
|
|
|
Holy
796 Posts |
Posted - Oct 18 2010 : 12:33:18 PM
|
The version I practiced (and still do):
1. Close the right nostril with the thumb, inhale slowly and deeply through the left. Hold the breath as long as it is comfortable while the hand relaxes again on your ankle.
2. Then close the left nostril with the help of the little and ring finger and exhale slooowly out of the right nostril till the lungs are empty. While still blocking the left nostril slowly inhale through the right, hold the breath and relax the hand.
3. Then block the right nostril once again and exhale sloowly through the left.
Repeat 1 to 3 easily for the aimed duration best with the help of a watch like in the other AYP practices.
If you can't breath out slowly, then you have hold the breath for too long, even if it was comfortable. Controlled slow breathing is more important than holding the breath longer and inhaling/exhaling like there is no tomorrow =P
The technique itself has far reaching effects when done for longer periods in a sitting. The first minutes it starts with relaxation, smoothing out energy flows, slowing the thought-process due to slow breathing. After more minutes and depending on the general purification-levels of ida&pingala both nostrils open up, air flows controlled. Smooth and peaceful and extatic feelings arise. Silence and absorption grows.
If practiced even longer in the same sitting, kundalini starts to awaken as prana starts getting into the central channel while doing kumbhak. It can be practiced to full bloom kundalini activity. So this is a powerful technique, but in moderate dosages before SBP it is safe and smooth and makes SBP and DM also more efficient.
Self-pace as nessecary.
It could also be practiced without kumbhak, but then it may really be not worh the time spent. |
|
|
|
tonightsthenight
846 Posts |
Posted - Oct 18 2010 : 2:19:58 PM
|
Well I will continue to practice ANB occasionally i think.
I don't do SB.
And for the moment, Self Pacing is leading me to not do my daily practices. However, the ANB seems mild enough to continue despite the crazy pranic activity on the Left Brain/Right body axis.
I'm just trying to get a handle on this transformation... as i mentioned before, both nostrils tend to be open most of the day. And with or without practice, K is always in "on" mode.
So it's kind of strange in contrast with some of the information i've read, which generally is that an imbalanced Pingala would result in reduced right nostril breathing, and that K/Witness/Silence isn't happening without Pingala.
I mean, here ive been experiencing Silence/Witness for a long while and even Unity from time to time, and it seems like Pingala is totally out of whack.
What I think is, Pingala is active, but just not fully integrated with Ida/Sushumna. So it's off doing its on thing. Active, yet separated from the rest of the whole.
So now the integration is happening.
Considering this, do you see ANB as a helpful practice to add?
|
|
|
|
Holy
796 Posts |
Posted - Oct 18 2010 : 9:35:43 PM
|
Don't know your general practice routine. If you do some kind of meditation daily, then adding some kind of pranayama beforehand would have great effects on many levels.
SBP itself balances the energy-flows too and makes meditation afterwards easier and more effective. Plus it cleans the karmic imprints in the spine so directly, that sooner or later you see that it is one of the best pranayams.
ANB works more directly on the physical level and is a good transition for the inner openings to express themselves as the god-play that happens all the time. All in all, at least for this body-mind-complex here, ANB smooths out everything and makes it very peaceful and lovely and joyful parallely to the hell/heaven-karmic cleansing (SBP) and increasing witness-awareness (DM).
Considering your situation, ANB should do its job.
And yeah, "out of mind" hits it in the spot. If you taste the chocolate in sushumna, what else can stop you? :) |
|
|
|
tonightsthenight
846 Posts |
Posted - Oct 19 2010 : 1:33:14 PM
|
Thanks for the input, Holy.
A lot of the practices like SB don't really do it for me. There's already so much going on that I just try to ride that dragon... i don't need to whip it to make it go faster!
I do like the idea of the ANB. I tried cleansing my nose with that neti thing recently, too...
Seems like both the ANB and the nasal cleansing are good, solid practices.
thanks holy |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| AYP Public Forum |
© Contributing Authors (opinions and advice belong to the respective authors) |
|
|
|
|
Ida & Pingala
